Wicked Truth
by abcakes
Summary: "Look, mouth breather. You're either with me, or you're against me. With a brain like that, I can use you. You just need to stay the hell alive during boot camp. I'm not dragging your ass everywhere." Kaliena said, arms crossed as she looked at the girl laying in the hospital bed. "Evaluations in front of Captain Pike are tomorrow. Pull it together."
1. Intro

Every man you had ever met would be lying if he told you he had never experienced fear. You feel it when you're a child and the night creeps in for the first time you can remember, and the shadows become ghosts howling in your room. You feel it when you get your first heartbreak; the fear of losing someone you had once told all of your secrets, shared all of your scars with. You feel it as you die as well. The way black starts to flood your vision and your limbs grow numb. Your tongue will get thick in your mouth and you'll feel like choking, but you're long past gone at this point. All that's left is a rotting corpse for your loved ones to weep over, if you even have loved ones.

The point is: everyone knows fear, or everyone will know fear at one time. It's in human nature. It's in _every_ being's nature. Of Earth or other worlds, even worlds lost to time, natural disaster, or war. Fear, like death, favors no man.

Fear doesn't even favor the one woman who could speak its language if only she knew how, nor does it favor one of the last women in an endangered species. To these two, both death and fear had become old friends, and it would take years before they met someone with experience enough to dare challenge their own stunning records.

Even for the two women, it would take crushing circumstances for them to get along, to realize that not everyone was what they seemed. To never judge a book by it's cover, if you'll pardon the expression. Nearly sixteen years into the youngest one's life, and they had never even heard so much of a whisper of what would become their sister, or "ride or die" as someone once put it. Accurate, for these two.

As their lives would progress, fear would seep into them. Drown them in it; cloak them like a second skin. Death soon wouldn't faze them, a regular occurrence for both. They would realize the one thing that most people refuse to cope with.

That life is a beautiful lie and death is the wicked truth.


	2. Chapter 1

Seventeen days, countless miles, hundreds upon thousands of men and women that she had passed, and she was finally there. Finally standing on the opposite side of the Golden Gate Bridge, finally in San Francisco, California. Finally on her way to enlist in Starfleet.

_Starfleet._ Seventeen days ago, the word was a whispered dream, blown away in the winds of the dry North Carolina air. Starfleet was what ended her brother's life, and what hopefully wouldn't end her own. But space was disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence. Anything was possible when you were millions of miles away from the Earth.

In less than a few hours, she would be standing in Starfleet Headquarters taking her entrance exam, and by the end of the day, she would have received her cadet corps number and would report to the shuttles to be taken to boot camp. Assuming everything went right, of course. And god did she hope it went right.

Her feet padded against the concrete sidewalks, adjusting the bag on her shoulder and pulling down the one on her back. These two things were her life now, seeing as they were the only things she had brought with her. Some clothes, couple of hundreds, and a few small personal possessions. It was all Samuel took with him when he left home as well.

A gust of wind brushed up from the ground, making her hair fly into her face, and she pushed the curls away from her face, deciding she would be happy if they made her shave her head for basic training. Hell, she would volunteer! No one else in her family had hair like her own, and she was convinced she was probably adopted. She didn't favor anyone. They were all blue-eyed blonde haired men and women, yet somehow she came out on the short end and was both brown haired and eyed.

Genetics.

Digging the sheet of paper out of her pocket, she looked down at the address before looking back up at the building she stood in front of, comparing the addresses. Her brother once told her that she would always be welcome to stay at his place in San Francisco, and now that he was gone, who was using it?

Pushing open the doors to the apartment building, she headed directly towards the elevators, pressing the button and waiting patiently for it to come down. Stepping out of the way as the doors opened, she nodded to a mother and her child, always taught that smiling, nodding or saying "hello" to anyone you passed was polite. The woman gave her a strange look, making her blush. Apparently this wasn't taught everywhere.

Stepping in, she pressed another button that corresponded to the floor number on the sheet her brother had given her so long ago. Turning around, she let the bag she carried on her shoulder drop to the ground as she stared out of the glass and into the city. Behind her, she heard the doors begin to close, and the rushing steps of someone just barely making it into the elevator in time.

Her shoulders tensed, and she prayed to god that whoever it was wouldn't attempt to make conversation with her. It wasn't that she was socially inept—actually, she was—it was just that she wasn't very good at making conversation with strangers. Or anyone for that matter. Plus, she would only be here for a day at the most. Her brother's old apartment was merely a stop for the moment.

The elevator went into motion, and she watched as the ground rushed from underneath her, view starting to level with the skyline as it continued to rise. _Fascinating._

"What, never been in an elevator before?" With a shocking realization, she blushed when the man standing besides her spoke up. Speaking her mind had always been a problem of hers, even when it was unintentional like this.

Clearing her throat as if to start a sentence, she decided against it and merely shook her head "no". In a small town, you didn't have to do much talking. She had hoped that moving to a bigger city and joining Starfleet, she would become nothing more than a number as she moved up the ranks. _If_ she moved up the ranks, that is.

"Haddock, Andromedea. Boone, North Carolina." He continued, making her freeze up again. How the hell-? "It's on your tag, if you're wondering why. I can't read minds, as much as I would like to be able to. Kinda young to want to join Starfleet, aren't you?"

Bending down, she grabbed her bag. "No." She grumbled, looking at the ground to avoid eye contact with the man, noticing he was wearing a Starfleet uniform before doing so however. "And it's Andy."

Hearing his mouth open to speak again, she thanked every god she could think of that the doors opened and she could rush out before she had to continue this more than uncomfortable conversation with the man. Sam was always better at talking than she was.

Un-wadding the paper from her hands, Andy smoothed out the thin sheet and checked the number before digging in her pocket for the key as she saw the door number down the hall. Once she arrived, she pushed the key in and heard the lock click open, door swinging open to reveal possibly the barest apartment she had ever seen. Typical of Samuel.

Shaking her head, Andy tossed down her duffle bag and threw her backpack on the floor, stretching her back and flopping down on the couch. She didn't have long to rest, in about fifteen minutes she would have to be on her feet again to head to entrance exams.

But for right now, she would rest. After all, she thought she would have earned it.


	3. Chapter 2

The time was oh-six-hundred. One hour from now, the results of Starfleet's entrance exam would be posted inside of headquarters, and in one hour her dreams would either come true or be crushed. Needless to say, this was possibly one of the most nerve-wrecking hours of her life so far.

Andy wasn't even sure where her desire to join Starfleet had started. Maybe it was the way her brother would tell her about the stars, or the way he would always call her first thing when he got back from a mission, tell her in full detail about how they had saved a planet or discovered a new species of healing fish. Anything and everything to feed her imagination.

Her most favorite story was when he told her of the destruction of _Otthon Sárkányok_, home planet for the Dragonbourne. It was what sparked her interest in languages, truthfully. This was when they were really little as well. He told her how there were civil wars between all of the non-Dragonbourne, and how they destroyed the planet bit by bit until there was almost nothing left.

Then the unthinkable happened. A star exploded, creating a supernova that destroyed everything in its path, including both Romulus and _Otthon Sárkányok._ Hundreds of others were destroyed, but those two in particular were the ones most talked about. Almost none of the non-Dragonbourne made it out, and only a handful of those who were Dragonbourne survived and managed to escape. Ever since then, spying a Dragonbourne on Earth was nearly impossible. They looked, talked, even acted like humans. The only thing that truly stood them out was their tattoos, and you had to get them angry to see them.

Sam had told her that Dragonbourne was impossible to speak if you weren't born with the knowledge, and Andy, being the stubborn little bug she was, decided that it was a challenge and poured herself into learning everything about it. Needless to say, it wasn't easy. She had to learn seventeen other languages first. At this point in her life, speaking any other language was easier than English to her. So many strange words to wrap your tongue around, or your head even.

The second he learned of his admittance into Starfleet Cadet Academy, Samuel called her, telling her what the test was like and to which training group he has assigned. He also had regretfully told her that he wouldn't call for the next three months, seeing as boot camp would take up most of his time otherwise. At night, he would be too tired to do anything other than sleep.

Andy's eyes flicked up as a door opened on the opposite right of her, watching as a woman dressed in her grey Starfleet uniform stepped out, the slight heel to her boot clicking against the cold marble floors as she walked towards the call board. Andy caught a glimpse of the list, fear striking deep in her heart as she saw the _very _short list of men and women's names on the sheet.

Usually, the most physically fit ones were the only few who made it through, if they were high on their requiting quota that month. Sometimes they just passed everyone, and sometimes they were very elective about putting those of the strong mind in advanced training. Everyone else was put below them in the easier, less fast-paced training of cadet school.

Standing, Andy felt her heart pound as she watched people rush towards the sheet, some crying out in elation, and everyone else's shoulders dropping in sadness as they tried to keep it in. One girl couldn't, she ran away sobbing in what sounded like a painful way. Something told Andy that this wasn't her first time taking the test.

Her legs were weak as she walked forwards, noticing that everyone who walked away with a true smile had rippling muscles and a strong aura. Those who were smaller and more fragile were rarely among them. Once she was as the front of the pack, she scanned the sheet hopefully, but then her heart stopped.

_Haddock, A.—Advanced Training._

She couldn't believe it. _Advanced_ training? Everyone else who was in this category was in the peak of his or her physical condition, yet here she was with almost no physical background. Hell, she had spent most of her money on bus rides across the country so she wouldn't have to walk that far.

Samuel was a far better candidate than herself for advanced training, seeing as he was a good foot taller than her and built like an ox. Again, Andromeda had received the short end of the stick for this trait and was stuck with the horrible graciousness of being slightly under average height. This meant people often put their arms on top of her head and leaned on her, or picked her up without her permission and treated her like a small dog. Her argument was always that she was five foot five, and that was a reasonably decent height.

But _advanced training_! Samuel was distraught when he was put into regular training, and Andy was positive there was no way that she would be placed into advanced training. Everyone else grouped with her were… Mountains. Behemoths. _Huge._

Walking back over to her spot on the floor, she grabbed her book from the ground and started to head towards where she would get further instructions, looking back for a moment at the people who were less than pleased with their results.

A woman was sitting at her desk, tapping on her computer screen for a moment before smiling up at the new cadet and assigning them to the 547th Cadet Corps, and giving them the loading dock to report to. Standing at the back of the line, Andy waited patiently as the people in front of her were assigned to their training legions.

She could only imagine the faces of the people behind her when she would have to say advanced training, wondering if they would be as equally shocked. Her results on the test must have been exemplary, seeing as she completely bombed the small physical portion. It was just fifteen minutes of running, which was nothing too hard for most.

Andromeda's thoughts were interrupted as the lady waved her hand in front of Andy's face, making her blush and focus once more. "Haddock, Andromeda. Advanced training." She said, watching as the woman raisied an eyebrow and glanced over her before returning her icy gaze back down to the computer screen, tapping away.

"Haddock, A., you are placed in the 409th Cadet Corps, and are to report to Ganna Base at oh-eight-hundred for shuttle takeoff to boot camp." Handing her a sheet of paper, the lady glanced over Andy once more. "Good luck, kid. You're gonna need it."

Taking the sheet from her, Andy nodded without a word and walked away, hearing a loud whisper of "how can _she _get into advanced and I can't?"

"Her test scores are unprecedented. She's not there because of physical skill, she's there because Starfleet needs a mind like that faster than usual." The woman replied, and Andy felt a small smile hike its way up the corners of her mouth in reply.

She knew she was smart. Hell, it was a given! It was another reason Andy was convinced she was adopted. No one else in her family strived to learn, thirsted for knowledge and skill like she did. They were all fine with being uneducated farmers, but the law required them to go until the end of high school. Needless to say, Samuel and she were the first to continue their education, even if it was in cadet training.

Placing the paper between her teeth, she reached back and pulled her hair into a ponytail. Samuel and she had made an unfortunate bet that hadn't really been so unfortunate for either. They both knew they were going to join Starfleet, but a bet had been made. Sam really wanted a tattoo, and Andy really wanted to get an industrial bar in her ear, mainly because it freaked him out. So, they had decided that if one of them did manage to get into advanced training, the other had to pay for it to be done.

With one hundred dollars and a smile on her face, Andy pushed open the door of the building and walked out, determined this would be the first step to her new confidence.

_If only he was here to see it._


	4. Chapter 3

Oh-eight-hundred. Ganna Base, dock 14B. Freezing rain that didn't seem like it was ever going to stop.

Yet here she was. Lined up like a lamb to be taken to the slaughterhouse, taken away for the last time her family would see her. Not like they cared anyways, seeing as they had been the ones to kick her out in the first place.

Andy found herself sandwiched between a man and a woman, both with incredibly massive biceps that she barely stood eyelevel with. Needless to say, she was _definitely_ the shortest person here. All of the others had her by a good five or six inches.

As everyone stood in the line, blinking away rain as it clouded their vision with arms folded behind their backs and shoulders set just like their feet, they waited. Boots sinking into the mud, the smell of gasoline and motor oil occasionally drifting by. She could feel her hair plastering to her face, but she knew better than to try and push it away, seeing how it would just drift back. Her clothes were already soaked through, and she was chilled to the bone. If the entirety of boot camp was going to be like this, than she would very easily quit now.

The cadets were waiting for a Lieutenant Commander Isaac Bane, a name that often caused quite a stir. Known for being an avid drinker, working his cadets into their graves almost, and his numerous divorces.

She could only imagine why.

This man was a demon in disguise, someone they all feared in one way or another. Not even those above him truly liked him but he did a fine job in training cadets, so they kept him around. For now, anyways.

A squishing, sloshing noise that could only come from a pair of boots was walking down the line of people slowly, not saying a word as they continued. Never pausing, never hesitating. Simply walking. It was only when the Lieutenant Commander came into her peripheral vision that her heart really started hammering.

Short, buzzed grey hair, frown lines that seemed to go on for miles and a hooked nose. It wasn't his appearance that frightened her; it was the cold, calculating, blue eyes. They seemed to reach through you and rip out your soul before throwing it away with disdain. If the hairs on her arms hadn't already been standing up, they were now.

Halfway across the line, he began to speak as he walked by everyone slowly. "My name is Lieutenant Commander Bane. You will not call me Mr. Bane, Bane, Isaac as it is my first name, but you will call me Lieutenant Commander." The man's voice fit his personality perfectly. Icy and stern, commanding without trying.

The Lieutenant Commander, having finished his march and decided to stand in the middle of the line, not minding the rain apparently, continued to yell to them. "Over the next four months—" _Four? Samuel told me it was three!_ "You will be tried, tested, and I will kick your ass to the ground with out an ounce of mercy. I don't care how strong you think you are or how tough you think you are, but you're in my house now, kiddos. I can and will send your ass out of my boot camp if you so much as think of failing one of your missions. Space is unforgiving, and so am I."

By the end of his speech, everyone was having second thoughts. How could you not? The man was full blown crazy! All military actions and rules. They were supposed to be learning how to survive in space, not be militaristic men and women! Someone had obviously given this guy the wrong idea a long time ago.

"Alright." He said, folding his arms behind his back. "Everyone aboard the shuttle in two minutes or we leave you. Welcome to hell."


	5. Chapter 4

Hell.

Andy thought the man had been using the term figuratively; a way of scaring them into thinking it was nothing but hellfire and damnation. Of course, it wasn't actually a pit of fire and screaming souls, but she could now see why he had chosen that exact word as she limped towards the mess hall, breath ragged and too exhausted to speak.

Lieutenant Commander Bane, as soon as they had gotten out of the shuttle and pulled their Starfleet-issued packs onto their backs, he had instructed in his very scary military man voice that they were to run from there to base, and meet in the mess hall. Everyone but Andy seemed perfectly fine with this, not minding the fact that they were having to run over seven miles to where they were expected.

Running had never been Andy's strong suit, and anything having to do with physical movement wasn't as well. Within the first five minutes of running, she was light headed, out of breath, and weak. The freezing rain battering down upon her shoulders didn't help, nor did the weight of her pack on her back either.

Yet somehow, she had lived. Andy supposed the lesson to be learned here was that no matter how you feel, if you keep going with the finish in mind, you'll get there eventually. Then again, it could also be that running in freezing rain and mud is terrible.

Either worked.

With a shaking hand, she pushed open the door and stumbled inside, hearing a terrifying clap of thunder behind her as she slammed it shut once more. Not even caring if she was stared at, Andy dropped her bag at the closest table, collapsing into the chair and sitting her head upon the table.

How her brother had survived this, or even regular training, she wouldn't know.

While on the shuttle, Lieutenant Commander Bane had told them that to gain entrance to advanced training, you either scored an above-average score on your aptitude test, or you passed your physical exam with flying colors. There was only one of them who had passed both in the extreme, and Andy was pretty sure it wasn't her based on the experience she just had.

Too tired to even get up and scavenge what was left of the food they had to offer, Andy kept her head down and shivered as water pooled at her feet. She had never imagined Starfleet to be like this! But, as her brother always told her, you had to go through failure before you got to greatness. And she was certainly failing.

Who knows, by the end of the four months, she could be so physically fit that if anyone knew her before, they wouldn't be able to recognize her then. She could be top of her graduating class afterwards, pass with flying colors and do what some considered impossible—graduate in three years. There was one guy two years ahead of her who was almost there, but rumor had it that he was completely and utterly insane. Even if you weren't in Starfleet, you knew of the Kobyiashi Maru simulation. It was designed to make you fear, to make you see about no-win situations. Samuel had always told her that Andy never believed in no-win situations. He also told her that this belief would one day get her ass handed to her.

She believed him.

When her brother was alive, Andy had the reputation of being quite the smartasss. She would challenge anyone who tested her, speak her mind and snap at everyone. Her parents could barely win in an argument with her, and that was saying something. But ever since Samuel's death, it was hard to even get her to speak.

Her parents always argued and pushed down her ideas, belittled her and treated her almost like it was her fault that he had died. She was, after all, the one who told him to live his dreams and make them all proud. And Sam did! He just never returned.

So when the chance came, she left. And she was determined she was going to stay gone. Besides, they always liked Samuel more.

Picking her head up from the table, she let out an exhausted sigh and rubbed her hands over her face, shaking water off of them afterwards. Andy could only imagine that mess hall was open for a few more minutes, so she probably needed to go ahead and grab something then.

Arms shaking, she pushed herself up from the table and started walking towards the line of trays and food, eyes excited. A slam came from the other side of the room as a door opened, a man stepping through. She was just glad it wasn't the Lieutenant Commander.

"I am Lieutenant Zachariah Echen, and I will be assisting Lieutenant Commander Bane in your training." The man said, voice loud and powerful. By now, everyone in the room was standing, full salute as they stared at the man before them. Andy didn't blame them as she saluted as well, seeing as he was decently handsome. "You have all finally made it, so I shall assign rooming arrangements."

Pulling out a sheet of paper, he started to call out names and room assignments like he did this everyday. Come to think of it, this was probably nothing new to him. He started to pace through the isles, calling out last names still. "Boone, M., with Daniels, A. 319."

Andy watched his every movement. Not simply because she found him moderately attractive, but simply because his weight carried on his left hip. It was strange, as if he was missing a joint. But the odd clunking noise he gave off added to that theory.

"Gradix, B., with Hablie, C. 407." He continued, now close enough for her to see the metal sight of his leg. Prosthetic, obviously. The man must have had it done in Jinaë, they were known for replacing limbs with extraordinary care and prestige.

"Haddox, A. with Laurel, K. 415." Andy watched another person across the room freeze, their icy blue gaze being turned to her, and deadly. The blonde was obviously not happy about being paired with the "weakling" of the bunch, and Andy could tell by her stature that this girl would let her know it.

God help her now.


	6. Chapter 5

It wasn't even the end of the night before Andy heard of her roommate's unsatisfactory review of her. Come to think of it, it wasn't even five minutes afterwards their names had been called together before she heard the icy, sharp tone of her voice.

"Lieutenant Echen," she said sharply, voice trained to hold an air of authority and sharpness. Andy could only imagine that she had come from some rich family and was trying to rebel as much as possible, be the opposite of some family member. That's what rich people did, right? "I request a transfer of roommates. Haddock is far less than capable, and seeing as I scored perfect remarks on both my physical and aptitiude test, I think I should be matched—"

Echen raised a hand to stop the rampaging woman, face bored as he never looked up at her. Flipping his sheet over, started to speak. "You are matched with someone of your skill, assuming that's what you were going to say. Haddock here is the only other to make a perfect score on her aptitude test, and then proceed to make one of the highest scores we've ever had. Although she failed her physical examination and was the last to arrive tonight, you are matched. Only intellectually."

Andy smiled to herself as she picked at a roll, the conversation going on behind her, both speaking as if she wasn't there. But oh, that girl knew. Considering Andy felt like she had holes burned into her back now, that girl knew.

She had heard whispers of the terrifying blonde's name, but no one dared mention it in case those daggers of blue eyes turned on you. Kaliena, apparently. And she didn't seem like the friendly type.

Angry stomping of boots, and it was just Andy once more. Still smiling to herself, she was proud that she had made this giant angry enough to want a transfer. Well, not proud enough that she liked being called a weakling. But all would come with time. Who knows—maybe they would eventually settle their differences and become friends.

Yeah, right.

_(Side note from the author: I'm so sorry this is short, loves! I'll be gone this weekend, but seeing as it is soon a break for me, I'll try and update as much as possible! Promise. Comment and follow, let me know what you think! –abcakes)_


	7. Chapter 6

They were dispersed after dinner, told to greet the people they would spend the next four months with and report at oh-six-hundred under the flagpole for that days orders. Regardless of the fact that her roommate was full-blown insane bitch, Andy was overly excited to sleep.

Dragging her feet, she rubbed a hand over her eyes as she shifted the bag to her other hand, pushing open the door and stepping in. Room 415, exactly where she was told she would be staying. It was a barren room, two beds on opposite ends of the walls, a small dresser built into the wall and bookshelves. A lamp for both, and that was the extent of their room. She had already been told where the washrooms were, but seeing as it was already so late into the evening, she set against it.

Her bag landed with a heavy thud on the wooden floor, back popping as she stretched to the sky. Funny, she thought Kaliena would have gotten here by now.

A hard force slammed into her back, and both of them went tumbling to the floor, Andy's head hitting the wood with a thud. She was pushed onto her stomach, someone sitting there and pinning her hands above her, fingernails digging into the skin and bruising her. Crying out, she felt one hand release and grab her by the hair; bringing her up a little and slamming her head back down so she would hush.

Stars filled her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to clear her vision in the dark room, extremely disoriented. "Filthy human," a female voice sneered. Cold, icy blue eyes came into focus, and Andy felt unnatural heat rise off of her. "How dare they pair me with one as weak as you. You can't even stand up for yourself."

Kaliena spit next to her face, a sign of total disrespect and disgust in most cultures. Andy flinched as she felt it halfway land on her face, hating how small she felt. This girl was crazy, and that was easy to see. "I will _break_ you. I will make you rue the day you thought it would be a good idea joining Starfleet. I will make you scream, cry, and bleed until there is no more of you left." She growled, heat now scarily radiating off of her. Andy yelped as she felt burns start to form on her arms, pain radiating through her.

"Quiet!" She growled again, taking one of her hands and gripping it around Andy's throat. "You have the name of a princess, but you are _nothing _suited for the role. You will _burn _in the ashes of your life, and I will laugh and dance once it is done."

Andy felt her eyes roll back into her head, gasping for breath as this woman choked her, oblivious to the consequences. The weight lifted off her chest, and her neck was released, and Andy's eyes snapped open as she took a gulping breath, rolling over to her stomach as she coughed, pushing herself up on her elbows only to be kicked in the abdomen by Kaliena.

Her entire body shook, and she struggled to get air into her lungs as she lay on the ground, the feeling of being utterly pathetic running through her. The door opened, and light flooded in as Kaliena stepped out, and Andy was alone once more.

As her body wore itself down, arms weak and legs aching, Andy couldn't get one thing out of her mind. _How the hell was she supposed to survive this?_


	8. Chapter 7

"Cadet Haddock, why are there burn marks on your neck?"

Andy flinched at the sound of his booming voice, ear ringing from the shock of it. She had been expecting this question, seeing how showing up with hand-shaped burns wasn't considered a normal occurrence. Nor was the welt on her forehead, but that could be overlooked. Maybe.

"I was in a quarrel with one of the other cadets last night, sir." She answered back, mind flashing to the night previous. Kaliena hadn't returned, and for this Andy was grateful. She was pretty sure that at this point in her life, she was no match for the insane blonde. The girl had strength to boot, and there was some compound in her that obviously wasn't human. No human could heat himself or herself hot enough to burn someone.

The first time she had seen Kaliena since then was when she showed up for roll call that morning. Andy wasn't all too sure where she had gone, but she noticed that wherever it was, this princess wasn't used to the discomfort. Oh, how she couldn't wait for the day when she could possibly take this woman down. The more she thought about it, the more Andy realized that day was probably never coming.

Lt. Commander Bane raised an eyebrow. "Fighting within your team? That's against rules, minus sparring in training, cadet."

Flushing, Andy considered telling him that she was the one who started the fight. This gave her a greater chance of surviving another night with the she-devil. But she couldn't betray her instincts. Something inside of her told her maybe telling a tweaked version of the truth would work best. "I was attacked, sir. But it was instigated, I will admit."

Bane glanced down the line of people, curiosity mixed with an odd form of admiration in his eyes. "And which one of our lovely backstabbers would this happen to be, Haddock."

She swallowed. "I cannot say, sir. I respect my men, even if they do not do the same for me, regardless of my physical stature." Sweat was beading on her neck, stinging the burns as it rolled down her skin and drenching her collar under the hot sun.

The weather had changed in an instant. One moment it was pouring rain, and the other, the sun had come out and dried up the mud beneath them. All of them were drenched now in sweat, knowing it would only get worse as the day went along. Cadets that had been there for months had laughed and told them that it would eventually get easier to deal with the heat and rain, but for now it would be hell. Or at least feel like it.

A snake's form of a smile appeared on this man's face, slightly frightening Andy as he stepped away, turning his back and walking to where they could all see his face. "Cadet Haddock contains a trait most of you leeches will never possess—loyalty. Step one in trusting your team." He said, turning around once more.

For the second time in two days, cold, calculating, blue eyes swiveled over them all, reaching deep into their souls. "I must apologize for acting so harshly yesterday, but it's my way of seeing if you'll hold your resolve. Starfleet isn't entirely military operations, cadets. Exploration is a key part in knowing what's out there. But, Starfleet regulates that we train each and every cadet like they would be going into the military operations of things."

Patting a box on a table next to him, he continued talking. "In here, I have your dog tags. After graduating from Starfleet, you may choose to have them implanted in your skin, like most do now. But for now, you wear them everyday and never take them off. It is my job to train you, but it is not my job to keep you alive. That is why we have dog tags. You're bleeding out, people aren't sure what your blood type is, and that's when you'd be thankful to have two things of cold metal on you at all times. I will distribute said dog tag to you after my speech, and you will then immediately start on your fifteen mile run around camp. Just follow the big boys. They know where they're going. Next," he said. "You will train with them. That's sparring, stretching, pushups, pull ups, sit ups, more running or weight lifting, whatever they have in store for today. You will do this everyday until evaluations with Captain Pike roll around at the midway mark."

Lieutenant Commander Bane stared at them once more. "That is all." He said shortly, nodding his head and waiting for the men and women to swarm him, all trying to get their dog tags. As they did, he kept his eyes on one individual, Haddock, A. Something about her was off, he could tell. It just wasn't right, almost. How the smallest, weakest cadet he had ever seen would dare snitching at the risk of being beat up again. This girl was either used to it, or just plain crazy.

Whatever it was, he would find out soon enough.

After the last person (Andy), had taken their dog tags and slipped them over their heads and run off, the Lt. Cmdr. smiled to himself. Who knows, may this kid was the next Admiral.


	9. Chapter 8

Three weeks into training and Andromeda Haddock hadn't made the whisper of a friend.

It wasn't as if making friends was her specialty, the truth being the exact opposite being the truth. As previously stated, her only friend when she was a child was her brother. Talk about sheltered life.

But, as often with Andy, she looked towards the brighter side. Her witch of roommate no longer attempted to kill her every time they crossed paths. Training had gotten much easier, muscle gaining on her small build and lungs getting used to the brutal abuse that was running. Running always seems like a good idea until you actually start running, she had learned.

For someone who spent their entire childhood outside, you would think she would be less of the weakling she as today. Well, for a long time, she was, and then she got sick and Samuel died and everything just went to hell from there. Not like she was blaming Sam, no sir! More of herself than anything.

Andy was also fairly certain that she was the youngest person here, regardless of the fact that she looked far older than fifteen. The legal age to join Starfleet was sixteen, and she couldn't wait another year in Boone to live out her dream. Not with parents like hers.

This, of course, did not stop both men and women from her squadron and others who had been here longer from approaching her with sweet talk in an attempt to get her in their bed. Andy had turned them all down with no hesitation, going so far as to be blatantly rude about it. The first four times she could deal with, but everything afterwards became annoying.

Another thing for which she had noticed was the lack of hesitance whenever someone spoke to her, the shy nature slowly working its way out as she was forced to spend time around people. Sarcastic answers and snappish responses had become a slight norm for her, scaring the young girl slightly. It wasn't as if she liked being sarcastic, it was just the slight pleasure she received from shutting someone down.

Someone leaned against the bar next to her, and she could practically feel the arrogant asshole pulse out of him, making her scowl into her cup of tea. "You know," he purred, voice unfamiliar. "With a body like that, its terrible that you're so short."

Fire practically burst from within her, sparking something in her. You could make fun of her hair, her eyes, her hips, anything. You just couldn't make fun of Andy's height.

Gripping her teacup, she straightened her back and looked the man dead in the eyes, not batting an eyelash as she threw the contents in his face. "Piss off." She snapped, slamming the ceramic mug back down as she walked away.

Unsure of what had just happened to her, Andy passed by an almost empty table, consisting of one man cackling with laughter from observing the scene before him. Receiving a harsh glance from Andy as she passed by, the man coughed uncomfortably, making her smile to herself.

She hated men like that.


	10. Chapter 9

Ripped lungs, broken bones and bruised skin was only a minuscule part of their training regiment. Ripped lungs wasn't actually something that happened, but they did have one person fall off the climbing wall and shatter three ribs, only to have one puncture his lung. It was close enough.

One week had passed. Then another. And another. Soon, one whole month had passed since the 409th Cadet Corps first set foot in their small hell of a boot camp. Two months passed by and snow arrived, seeing how it was normal for Earth winters to do so. If Andy had thought the rain and the heat was bad, oh boy. She hated this more than anything.

Not only did their regulated uniforms not hold anything out, they also kept nothing in. Bane wouldn't let them wear anything over the flimsy uniform either, claiming it would help them adapt to any situation, saying they wouldn't have time to go back and grab something to keep warm in. Andy thought this was a load of bullshit; no man in his or her right mind would send someone out in the cold without a coat.

Running had become as easy as breathing to her, but she had supposed it would. Every month, Bane would tack on an extra five miles to their run. This was for everyone but those in advanced, of course. They had five extra than the regulars on some days. Right now, she was running an average of 25-30 miles per day, which is something considering how incredibly weak she was coming into this.

They were told to have finished all of this by twelve in the afternoon to be there for the lunch bell, and for almost two straight weeks, half of their class missed it completely. So, they came up with a solution. Instead of getting up at the normal time of call, everyone under Bane's command got up three to four hours earlier. That's right—anywhere from one to two in the morning. And yet somehow they all still survived.

"Knowing your limits" had basically been pushed to shit since they walked in here, pushed even further now that they were barely a month away from final exams.

Final exams—the thought that made her sigh every time it passed by her. The end of the year was nearing quickly, so they were almost the last class to take their exams. The whole concept terrified her. You did amazing and passed, or you screwed up along the way and failed. Once you failed, there was no going back. You couldn't take it again. Bane didn't believe in second chances, as obvious in all of his policies.

Earlier in the month, he had asked if everyone could swim and when no one spoke up that they couldn't, he had left it at that. The only problem Andy had with this is that she couldn't swim—she was terrified of drowning. The anxiety in her had almost taken over her body and she was unable to speak up about her fear, remaining silent even as he walked away. For someone who wanted to be a captain, she would have to get used to more people and social interaction.

She hated social interaction.

On the plus size, the benefit of not being malnourished anymore and constant physical exercise seemed to be helping her greatly. A surprising quarter inch gained, hair de-frizzing from constant change in temperature (like that made sense.), and she seemed to be filling out into herself more. This only meant that more and more eighteen-year-old boys were staring at her when she ran.

Not like she was complaining. Two years of menstruating and nothing happening to her body, it was about damn time. She had even caught her nearly mute roommate staring at her every once in awhile, as if trying to figure out who the hell this girl was. Even if she still was short as hell.

Something Samuel had once said to her came to mind, causing a slight smile to ride up on the corners of her lips. "Marry tall, Andy." He had said with a laugh, ruffling her hair. "Someone who has to bend down to kiss you and loves to do so." Andy, of course, had willingly agreed to do so and looked forwards to the day where she met the man. Even if he was a mere five inches taller than her—that would do.

Andy was never one to stop and ponder upon love, especially not at such a young age. Ah. Oh well. She would have plenty of time to think on her run tomorrow, but for now—sleep.


	11. Chapter 10

_"Miss? Miss, can you hear me? C'mon, open your eyes! Please!"_

Seventeen miles down. Heavy breathing, the sounds of human and animal life awakening. Sweat dripping down her face, chilling her skin in the weather. Trees on every side of her, towering above like giants.

Five days until final examinations.

Nineteen miles down. Backs of hands wiped across foreheads, shaken off in disgust. A single pair of feet pounding against the dirt floor of the forest. Heart pounding and determination set.

Four days until final examinations.

Twenty-one miles down. Finish line closer than ever, lungs heaving. After four months and still unsure of how she ever managed to make it into Advanced training, and what it would mean if she completed this stage and went onto Starfleet Academy.

Three days until final examinations.

Twenty-three miles down. The finish line of both her scheduled run and training were so close she could taste it. Anything would taste better than the dirt they served here. Who had boot camp at the beginning of cadet school, anyways? It made no sense—by the time you graduated, you have worked yourself back to where you started.

Two days until final examinations.

Twenty-five miles done. Sweat-drenched, gasping to breathe and bent over. Freezing cold and as usual, regretting her choice to ever join Starfleet. Dreading the next three hours to come and overjoyed at the same time.

One day until final examinations.

Today was it—the final day. The dreaded last day of boot camp. Rumor had passed that if you failed examinations, don't even come within fifty feet of the official Starfleet headquarters. Andy wasn't too sure whether this meant they were incredibly easy or impeccably hard. Well, she would sure as hell find out in one day.

She also found it to be incredibly ironic that it was scheduled for the day after Christmas, a day of celebrating for everyone in the camp. For some, today would be their last day with Starfleet. And for others, today was just a step towards a long future.

Andy could remember a night from ten years ago today, crystal clear skies and mild weather, surprising for the mountains of North Carolina. An odd sixty-five degrees, an abnormality for such a snowy place. Especially around Christmas. But, it was warm anyways, and she wasn't complaining. An ironic fact, of course. Always hating the cold, but being born on the day which the most snow had fallen in years. Sam had told her that it was a "Christmas miracle", to which he followed up with how she was as well.

The stars had splayed out along the sky like splattered ink that night, forming galaxies and constellations and stories of their own. Samuel's beat up, cracking, leather-bound journal in hand, she doodled small constellations in the margins of his perfect cursive, steering clear of his own charts.

Immediate pleasure and pride had always surged through her whenever Samuel had opened his starbook and found one of her drawings of a stranger on the pages, the smile, chuckle, and little head shake always making her happy. Her mother and father always put down her interests and talents, seeing her as nothing more than mute as she practically was glued to Samuel at all times. The two were inseparable.

Right now she was connecting the lines of her Draco, the myth playing over and over in her head. The story of a man who wanted nothing more than his own city, slaying a dragon on false promises of Zeus. It was one of her favorites, if not the most. She did love the tale of Andromeda, finding similarities in both their names and stories.

A foolish mother, boasting up to every queen, claiming to be the most beautiful when she was far from it. A neglected daughter and a disloyal husband. Andy wasn't all too sure where Samuel came into play, but maybe one day if she thought hard enough—"I know you're up in the stars, And, but can you come down to earth again for your brother?"

Blinking, Andy moved her gaze away from the stars slowly, looking over at her messy-haired brother, as tall and as handsome as ever. It was very clear that whatever attractiveness they had in their family had gone to him and completely skipped her, an unfortunate fact that she had to guess went with being the younger sibling. Damn.

There was a terribly wrapped package in his hand, callouses and large fingers almost covering it. Andy liked his hands, they were fun to draw. In all honesty, he was just fun to draw in general. Known for being what most people called a "teenage heartthrob", he was all muscle and sharp jawlines. This meant that he was always more than happy to let his six-year-old sister ride on his shoulders while they walked around. She liked the view, anyways. Shortness was a curse, even then.

Goodness was she lucky to have him.

"There she is." Samuel said, smiling brighter, rows of perfect white teeth showing, only making his blue eyes stand out further in the night. "Nice to see you again, curly." He joked, ruffling a hand through her untamable curls and earning a giggle.

Without another word, the two resumed staring up at the skies. Ten years older than her, Samuel was the real expert here, but never ceased to stop and listen to his sister speak, even how little she did. Samuel had the slight suspicion that the diagnosis of so many personality disorders had to do something with this, but anything was possible. His biggest and only wish was that one day she would find someone who found her disabilities beautiful, rather than the monster that most saw.

He couldn't wait for the day when she would talk to people other than him. Not like he didn't enjoy talking to her, no! Sam loved it! He was just concerned for her social skills, is all. The two were polar opposites in most ways, yet somehow they were just alike.

Looking over at her once more, he wasn't surprised to find her doodling around the letters of his writing, almost every space in his book filled with them. "What're you drawing?" He asked softly, as if he didn't know. Andy liked to be asked.

"Draco." She muttered, one word answer being the only one he would get.

Peering over her shoulder, he watched as skilled hands brushed coal over the paper, part of a set he had given her the year before. She had already drawn several other constellations and copied some of his handwriting, always capturing him in awe. "You know, " Samuel said, fingers brushing along the side of his package. "You're going to run out of room in mine eventually."

A simple head nod.

Clearing his throat, he earned a head tilt, the only sign he would get that she was listening. "So, why don't you start one of your own." There was a snap, and suddenly the coal pencil in her hand was in two pieces. As soon as the paper was off, shaking hands felt over the cover of her new favorite item. Tackled in an embrace, Samuel laughed, holding her.

Hand buried in kinky locks, arms around her small frame tightly, Samuel sighed. "I love you, And. Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday."

"I love you more, Sammy."

Andy suddenly found tears rolling down her face, and she thanked god no one was around to see them. They had buried Sam with his journal, per request of Andy. He would have wanted her to have it, but it just didn't seem right. You couldn't have the journal without having Samuel. It wasn't natural.

Shaking hands reached underneath the bed, groping around until her fingers connected with worn leather, pulling it out and holding it to her chest. She missed her brother.

She missed Sam.


	12. Chapter 11

People had a funny way of looking at things in her mind.

A young child, barely a few weeks old and people had already predestined its future. A never-ending thirst for crime, the cycle that never stopped, or a life of never-ending glory. These judgments were usually set on race. A homeless man was immediately the subject of substance abuse, when in reality he was thrown out of the house for not being able to provide like he should. Females waiting on the corners of sidewalks had obviously had "daddy issues" as children, playing out in their careers. However, you look into the hearts of any of these women and find out they crave a love so deep even the oceans would be jealous, even if their only way of finding this was one hour stands with anyone who would pay.

Most looked as far as they needed to to make a snap judgement about a stranger. How would they know that this child would grow to become a member of Starfleet, die in his regular duties when they were hit by a unpredicted comet? Nor would they know that the homeless man was only unable to provide due to severe PTSD from serving for his country. How would _anyone_ be able to tell that this woman got up every morning to work two jobs and still be able to barely feed her son?

Somehow, in your last moments, you realize that living life as if there is always someone beneath you is pointless. People thing they're invincible, but in reality they're as breakable as glass. Underneath, we are all truly the same. A heart, lungs, liver and eyes. Only the man at the very bottom of this existential chain knows happiness.

And oh, what a shame it is to realize it then. For what can the dying man do to change his own fate?

Death is always described as painless, the feeling of floating taking over your senses for one last time. To her, death's feeling always depended on how it was earned. Violent deaths were violent and painful; peaceful deaths were painless and airy; and anything else was a mixture of the two.

Those with sudden, violent deaths, Andy liked to think that death wasn't airy. It wasn't painless. Death, even after it was served, was either punishment or pleasure. The sudden rush of adrenaline would fade from your body, and as you died, you would feel. You would truly _feel _for the first time in your life. Your mind and soul would become one with earth, and you would feel every pain that she felt as you felt your own. And like a hurricane, it would come and go, leaving destruction in its wake. Andy was more than glad to have not been one of the violent deaths.

With Andy, death had not come easily to her. Even when she was still awake, fighting to stay conscious as she floated further and further to the bottom of the crystal-clear pool of water, she could feel it. The weight of thousands of tons of water crushing, clouding her vision as blacked crawled its way in from every side.

Her body hit the bottom of the lake with a soft thud, dark hair fanning out around her as she stared up at the blurred moon, only made worse by the water covering it. Her first memory was of the moon, and her last would be of it. Andy was so far gone that she could almost feel Samuel next to her, smiling and talking about the stars like the huge dork he was.

Deep within her mind, she had a small flicker of hope. The hope that it wasn't over. The hope that someone would save her, pull her from the depths of the lake and breathe life back into her. But she knew it was hopeless. Her team was in their last stretch before the exam was over, and helping another was immediate failure.

She knew damn well that Kaliena wouldn't help her. Even though she no longer tried to kill Andy on a regular basis, this didn't stop her resentment towards her. Hell, she may even celebrate her death. The other two she knew from their small examination team of six had already completed theirs, two Johnson twins. There was a Kirk, J., and a McCoy, L., but they just seemed like a closeted gay couple. No help there.

Death was closing in on her fast, skeleton hands reaching for her longingly. And my god was she scared.


End file.
